Compare the data on this site with the data in their atlas, textbook, and other resources.

Use primary sources for researching ideas and cultures.

Research history topics on the Internet with the help of Research Links.

To print out this Teacher's Guide, click anywhere in this frame. Then click on the printer icon on your browser toolbar.

Atlas Links
When using The Nystrom Atlas of World History, Second Edition, check for the website icon next to maps, graphs, and other material. Then use the Atlas Links to discover what additional material is available on the website. The same material will appear on StrataLogica if you click on the icon in the e-atlas. The website expands on the information found in the atlas.

Outline Maps
This site offers maps with and without present-day boundaries of the following.

North America

South America

Africa

Europe

Mediterranean Basin

Asia

Australia and Its Neighbors

World, centered on the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, or the Americas

All of these maps can be downloaded and printed. Use them for any of the following purposes.

Discussions on geographic, historic, cultural, or contemporary themes

Hands-on mapping activities

Reports, displays, and projects

Review and testing

Political Maps
The site provides present-day political maps of the following.

North America

South America

Africa

Europe

Mediterranean Basin

Asia

Australia and Its Neighbors

World

There are also three political maps of the world for the following years.

A.D. 200

1000

1600

The site also has a physical map of the world.

Use these reference maps for these purposes.

Discussions

Comparisons

Reports and projects

Review

Current events research

Historical Maps
There are 48 unique historical maps found on this website. Each unit has its own map or maps. These maps complement the material found in the atlas by focusing on topics more closely than in the atlas, by raising new topics not found in the atlas, or by showing events and trends between events covered in the atlas.
Important terms relating to the theme are explained by rolling over the red underlined words below the title, in the legend, or on the map.
All maps may be downloaded, printed, and copied for use in your classroom.
A complete list of the historical maps is listed below.

Tips on Teaching with Charts and Graphs

There are 34 unique charts and graphs on this site. Ten of these cover topics across units.

Types of Governments

Weapons Timeline

Travel Times

World Population

Largest Cities

Size of Empires

Major Roads

Deaths by Disease

Slavery in the Americas

Global Climate

There are also four Major Beliefs of the World charts that cover historically important religions and philosophies. They, and other charts and graphs that are specific to a unit, are listed below.
Important terms relating to the theme and events of particular importance are explained by rolling over the red underlined words in the title or on the graph.
Remind students that graphs explain numerical data in a visual way. When viewing graphs, ask:

What is the topic?

What elements (sets of data) are being compared?

What patterns do you see?

What events or circumstances might explain the patterns?

Remind students that charts organize other kinds of information, especially text, in an easy-to-understand format. When viewing charts, ask:

What is the topic?

What elements are being compared?

What do the different elements have in common? What are their differences?

How did these differences come about?

What has been the impact of these similarities and differences?

Use the charts and graphs for these purposes.

Comparisons

Discussions

Reports, displays, and projects

All charts and graphs may be downloaded, printed, and copied for use in your classroom.

Tips on Teaching with Primary Sources

There are 42 excerpts from primary sources on this site. The primary sources are one of the following.

The primary sources describe world history from many different points of view. The author, place, date, original language, historical context, and internal context are found at the beginning of each document. Definitions of difficult words and other explanations are found in the right column.
Remind students that primary sources were usually written around the time of an event by the people who experienced it. In some cases, however, the primary source is a surviving text based on older sources or traditions that were not written or have not survived to the present day. When reading primary sources, ask:

What type of primary source is this?

Who wrote or spoke these words? Is it likely to be the person who is said to be the author? How would we be able to guess?

What is the author's point of view? How does that point of view affect the document?

What language was it originally written in?

What does the document tell us about the people of this era?

What was the impact on world history of the document or what it describes?

Use the primary sources for these purposes.

Comparisons

Discussions

Reports, displays, and projects

All primary sources may be downloaded, printed, and copied for use in your classroom.
A complete list of the primary sources is listed below.

Tips on Teaching with Photos

There are ten photo tours on this site. The thumbnail photos are arranged on a timeline to show approximately when the subject of the image occurred. Captions explain the image and its historical context. The definitions of especially important or difficult words can be found by rolling the cursor over the words that are underlined.
Images of the following help make historical concepts and eras more concrete.

People

Places

Artifacts

Events

Culture

Documents and maps

Political cartoons

These photos are especially helpful in providing a visual resource and representation of the era. Students can use the photo tours to:

gain a visual sense of people and places that played a role in history.

compare/contrast lifestyles of the past with those of today.

clarify historical and cultural concepts.

use photos in reports and presentations.

Encourage students to locate specific places on maps or globes when appropriate.
All photos may be downloaded, printed, and copied for use in your classroom.

Tips on Teaching with Links

Links can help both teachers and students find sites related to world history. These sites have been reviewed and selected to provide useful links to online resources that support world history curricula. They also can be used to support other social studies courses.
Because websites change from time to time, Nystrom cannot guarantee or be responsible for their content or the possibility that their addresses (URLs) may change.
Although Nystrom has attempted to select links to websites with no endorsements or advertising, it has not always been possible to do so. Please note that when sites do include endorsements or advertising, Nystrom does not endorse or intend to promote them in any way.
There are eleven sets of links on this site. There is a set of links for each unit and another set for general world history sites. Each listing includes a direct link to the site, the site's URL, and a short description of the site.
These links can be used for these purposes.

Answering questions

Extending a lesson

Day-to-day assignments

Research projects

Teachers might feature a link of the day or the week for students to access during their free time.

Tips on Teaching with 2004 Edition

This website is designed to complement The Nystrom Atlas of World History, Second Edition. If you have a 2004 edition of The Nystrom Atlas of World History, you will find that some of the units on the website do not match those in your atlas. Below is a list of where on the website you can find materials to match your atlas.

Website

Matches Topics in 2004 Atlas

Unit 1

Unit 1 (no change)

Unit 2

Unit 2 also including pages 70–73

Unit 3

Unit 3 (no change)

Unit 4

Unit 4 excluding page 55, map D

Unit 5

Unit 7 excluding pages 87–89; including page 94

Unit 6

Unit 5 excluding pages 68–69

Unit 7

pages 68–69, 74–79, 87

Unit 8

Unit 8 excluding 94, 98–99; including page 55, map D

Unit 9

Unit 9 also including pages 88–89, 98–99.

Unit 10

Unit 10 (no change)

Unit Outlines

This website is divided into the same units that The Nystrom Atlas of World History, Second Edition and the Mapping World History program use.

This unit covers early civilizations outside the Fertile Crescent from 6000 B.C. in Egypt to A.D. 900 in Mexico. The website also covers early cultures and civilizations in North and South America not found in the atlas.

This unit covers the different cultures in Asia from A.D. 395 to 1641, particularly Islamic, Byzantine, Chinese, and Mongol Empires, as well Japan and Southeast Asia. The website also covers Indian empires not found in the atlas.

Atlas Test

Teachers can print the following test to assess what students know about using The Nystrom Atlas of World History, Second Edition. This test can be used as both a pre- and post-test to evaluate student knowledge before and after using the Atlas.
Click on the appropriate test below.